Chungla Sherpa
Other projects
12 Oct 2023
Assessing a Multidisciplinary Framework for Human-Snow Leopard Coexistence in the Kanchenjunga Conservation Area of Nepal’s Eastern Himalaya
This project set up for a data-driven conservation strategy in the Kanchenjunga Conservation Area (KCA) of Nepal’s Eastern Himalayas, one of the world’s most critical biodiversity hotspots and an essential refuge for the Vulnerable snow leopard (Panthera uncia). The Eastern Himalayan ecosystem is under growing socio-ecological pressure due to rapid climate change, which alters alpine grasslands and accelerates habitat degradation. These environmental shifts, coupled with increasing human-wildlife conflict driven by livestock predation, threaten both snow leopard populations and the fragile balance of human-nature coexistence in this complex mountain environment. Such conflicts create lose-lose situations that jeopardise conservation efforts and erode local livelihoods.
Indigenous communities, including the Sherpa and other ethnic groups, have long served as the traditional guardians of this landscape, possessing rich Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) about wildlife behaviour, habitat patterns, and ecological change. Yet, despite their deep ecological understanding, these communities often lack access to modern scientific tools and methodologies that can transform their knowledge into actionable, evidence-based conservation practices. The core objective of this initiative is to bridge the gap between scientific research and community realities by empowering local people to move from passive observers to active citizen scientists and biodiversity stewards.
Building on the achievements of a previous Rufford grant and aligned with the applicant’s ongoing PhD research on climate change impacts, predator-prey dynamics, and interspecific competition among Himalayan carnivores, the project ensures that all outcomes are both scientifically robust and locally relevant. It integrates research and community participation into a unified framework promoting long-term conservation and coexistence.
The project is structured around three interconnected outcomes.
First, Capacity Building and Data Generation will train indigenous champions especially youth and women in tools such as GPS-based mapping (using QField) and systematic scat collection for dietary analysis. This will produce validated, geo-referenced data on snow leopard presence, habitat use, and livestock predation, directly addressing critical knowledge gaps.
Second, Community-led Stewardship and Awareness will foster coexistence through culturally rooted programs using local folklore, radio broadcasts, and school eco-clubs. Hybrid Mapping Workshops will merge traditional ecological knowledge with scientific data to co-design village conservation plans, including rotational grazing and land zonation that prioritise high, medium, and low human-use zones. These will be integrated into local planning and development to reduce conflict and protect habitats.
Third, Policy Integration and Resilience will embed community-generated data and TEK into climate and habitat modelling, informing Nepal’s Snow Leopard Action Plan and strengthening Himalayan biodiversity resilience.